Putin says "elections" in occupied Donbas "were inevitable"

Amid wide criticism of the Donbas "elections," Putin wonders why no one condemns what he calls "politically motivated" assassinations in the occupied territories, hinting that it is Ukraine who is behind the killings.

REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that "elections" held in the occupied territory of Donbas were "inevitable."

"As for condemnation [by Ukraine and the West] of these elections [in the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic ("DPR") and Luhansk People's Republic ("LPR")]: We haven't heard anyone condemn the murders committed in the territories of the unrecognized republics. That's the problem," Putin told journalists on Nov 15 following his Singapore trip, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Russia.

Putin believes that what he calls "politically motivated" murders is what must be condemned first.